Of all the ways that stress effects us: emotionally, mentally, and physically they can all be very damaging. We are going to focus in on the physical effects of stress in this article and see what we can do to improve our condition when we feel it is overwhelming. There are a few points to highlight and a bit of chemistry. Knowing what stress is doing to our bodies can be a motivating factor to get over stress. There are many stress management techniques that we can use to our extreme advantage and know them is key to our success in life.

The physical effects of stress are apparent over long periods very clearly as well as short term. Although we may not link stress as the cause of these it very well may be. Headaches accompany excessive stress many times which only makes matters worse. This is due to the increased heart-rate and the release of chemicals in the body. There are two main chemicals released in our body when we undergo the stress response.

Adrenaline is one of the physical effects of stress, it is released into the bloodstream and increases our heart-rate and makes us on edge. It prepares out body for danger and gets it primed to respond with increased strength and quickness. Unfortunately this response is intended for nature and not for what we are likely experiencing in our life. It is a powerful chemical that the body can use very effectively, but with our urbanized city lives it serves as more of a hindering force than a helping one.

Cortisol is the other main chemical released. It has been a recent buzzword used in advertisements and is part of the sales trend lately. It is used in weight loss ads and stress relief campaigns. It is a harmful chemical in excess but a very helpful one when balanced. When it is not balanced it will suppress the immune system and damage the cells of the body. It can harm your hippo-campus and decrease memory. When balanced it increased blood sugar levels at appropriate times and aids in memory as well as a variety of other beneficial effects.

These are a few of the physical effects of stress, keep an eye out for them because they will harm you both short term and long term.

It’s been a little while since I have blogged. I hope everyone has been reducing their stress and are doing well. I wanted to talk more about the nature of stress, how it comes into our lives, and what steps we can take to overcome it.

Stress is a natural response to events and things. It is meant to help guide us away from harmful events/things. It is both unfortunate and fortunate this response is programmed by your mind. Unfortunate because you have been sabotaging yourself and stressing about unnecessary things/events. Fortunate because now you know you are in control!

You identify the stressors as such because of negative past experiences and the expectations of what they will bring. You program into your mind what is going to cause you to feel the stress, both consciously and subconsciously. This is an empowering idea; once you understand you are in control of stress you can learn to change your reaction to it. Sure there will always be new challenges, and stress isn’t something to banish all together as it has a positive purpose (in it’s natural form), but now you can begin to take control!

Once you understand you are in control of stress you can begin reprogramming your mind. The first step is to identify what causes
stress in your life. The small things will be the easiest to overcome but the larger stressors will be much harder. Start by making a list of the things that cause stress in your life. Then move on to writing why they cause you stress. After you have reflected on this for a
while, being to program your subconscious by repeating that these things will affect you less and less. It may sounds silly but your subconscious mind will always follow what you say, and the more you say it the more it will listen.

You have begun to put it into subconscious action. Now we can begin to but it into conscious action and start to become one of your stress reducers. When these stressors come to your attention, pay attention. Try to take a step back and say, this is happening and I am going to deal with it peacefully. It does not need to generate stress, that isn’t productive, I am going to work through it constructively and have no need for the stress.

A lot of the time we don’t realize the stress serves us no purpose and it’s just how we think we should react. Stress is a highly individual emotion, each person has an infinitely different variety of stressors. Sure there are many common stressors many people share, but you must remember it is you who identifying with the stress. It is you who is feeling the response and it is you who are choosing to feel the response.

It will take work, you must repeat to reprogram your mind, you must recognize the stress and realize in most cases it is unnecessary.